User blog:Ace1580/Thoughts on Matthew 4:1-4
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Overall, it's important to pull some lessons out of Matthew 4 by looking at the context of Matthew 3. First of all, we need to recognize that Jesus was on the receiving end of temptation after a spiritual high period. In these time's when we feel most in tune with God, it's easy to feel like we're invulnerable, but even Jesus was susceptible to temptation, even after being at a place so close to his Father (see 1 Cor. 10:12). Secondly, notice that it is the Spirit itself that leads Jesus to be tempted. Compare this to the Lord's Prayers where Jesus asks that his Father lead him not into temptation. It must be delicately remembered that it isn't the Lord who tempts us, but it also must be acknowledged that he did, and does lead us into temptation in order to be tested. This is appropriate in this instance. Jesus has just been public pronounced as the Son of God and now he will demonstrate his right to carry that title, by facing opposition from Satan. It's worth noting that it's immediately after this statement of Christ's sonship that Satan attempts to tempt Jesus using that same sonship as bait. "If you are the Son of God..." he says. As if to egg Jesus on into proving that he is who his Father says he is. But Jesus isn't susceptible to this temptation that's buried beneath the initially visible one. Satan is appealing to Jesus' pride, but Jesus need not prove in any capacity that he is the Son of God because God himself has declared it. When Satan does strike, it's at the most vulnerable part of Jesus at this point in time. The verse says, after all, that Jesus was hungry, and Satan quickly monopolizes on this weakness. Jesus was in fact human, and just as vulnerable to his physical needs as we are. However, just because something is a physical need, does not absolve us to put obedience before it. And what was obedience here? What was it that would be so wrong about turning the stones into bread? I don't know the precise answer as it isn't given, but I can take a couple of guesses. All of which are applicable to us. #He was fasting and to break that fast prematurely would show a disregard to his commitment in this matter. #It would demonstrate a lack of faith in his Father, who promises to provide for us. (I think this is the most compelling, it makes the verse that he quotes very apropos) #I would be an abuse of his gifts. God does not give us gifts to use for our own gain, but for the betterment of the body of Christ. Read through the gospels and you will not find one occurrence of Christ using his power for anything that did not bless others. Category:Blog posts